It’s been a while since I dove into a programming gig. Some of you may know that one of my alter ego’s is JavaDevelop (@JavaDevelop on Twitter) and www.JavaDevelop.com. Don’t waste your time visiting that website since it will only bring you back here. I started my programming days in the late 1990′s with LotusScript on Domino/Notes applications (well actually the 1980′s if you count me playing with Basic on an Atari 1200XL).  Then progressed into the web world with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS; and finally went into the middle-tier of Java, and SQL database work. Around the late-2000′s I got bored and took a programming break.

Now, as my interest in mobile technology is increasing, I’m getting my programming skills sharpened and focusing first on iPhone development. This is a very new space for me, since iPhone development takes place on a Mac (I’m a Windows purist), and is written in a language called Objective-C, which is heavily based on the C programming language (see my background above to identify the discrepancy). That said, my iPhone skills are getting sharper each day, and I have some projects to work on (which I will announce at a future date).

I may also work on apps for the other devices, including Android, Palm, and BlackBerry. Though, that would take me in a very different technical direction, so don’t expect it soon.

To keep up with my mobile development activities, for now you can follow me @JavaDevelop on Twitter.  Sometime in the future, I will revive the website with all that I’m working on.

If you have any app suggestions with the platform you’d like to see an app on, let me know.  Maybe I will take community suggestions for future direction.

UPDATE: Sprint has announced the Palm Pre will be available at Best Buy, Wal-mart, Radio Shack, and other locations on June 6.

Some of my obsessions have been at the forefront lately, typically the likes of Rock Band, Xbox 360 deals, and BlackBerry’s. Though, the obsession that started this whole site 2 and a half years ago, seems to have gone by the wayside.

I guess we can thank my employer for forcing BlackBerry on me, which got me obsessing on the Storm and then the Bold. Though, some news I learned over the weekend, is bringing me back to my roots.

Palm.

I live blogged the announcement of the Palm Pre back in January, and haven’t mentioned in the blogs since. Although, I am due for a Palm Pre blog post, that’s not the main reason I’m writing.

Thanks to my friends at PreCentral.net, I learned over the weekend that another Palm device running the new webOS is in the works. It’s called the Palm Eos, and it’s looking to be the successor to the very popular Palm Centro (running the classic Palm OS). The Eos will run the new webOS, but will retain the Treo/Centro like front facing QWERTY candy-bar design.

It’s also been spotted as an AT&T device. Sprint will be getting the Pre.

So, here’s what’s a killer. The Pre, announced in January without any release date…still has not been released. It’s looking like it will come out within the next 14 days, but no date has been announced.
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The Pre is a big step from the Treo and Centro, as it’s a full touchscreen, with something very different from all smartphones. It has a vertical sliding keyboard. No one knows yet if it will be a successful design, though there’s little question that the OS will be anything less than dazzling.

But, is Palm shooting itself in the foot by taking such a long time to release the Pre, while allowing the Eos to get leaked? I think so. Now, the Treo and Centro lovers have a reason NOT to jump over to Sprint, since the Eos will likely be coming to AT&T. Also, Treo and Centro lovers now can wait a little while longer, and get that good ol’ front facing QWERTY they have grown to love.

For me, both are exciting, though I don’t see me getting one as my everyday device, due to work restrictions. I’m sure I will be trying both out, and writing up my feedback when I get my hands on either one.

What about you? Do we have any Palm enthusiasts left here, interested in either of these?

I think there is a simple recipe to call something an iPhone competitor, or as many like to call “the iPhone killer”. After using the BlackBerry Storm for more than two months, and analyzing the mobile device market, I can say the Storm is not an iPhone killer.

The simple determination is about how RIM designed the software for the device. They adapted the tried and true BlackBerry OS for touchscreen and keyboard-less environments. That in itself makes the Storm out of contention for the iPhone killer title. To be a real iPhone competitor, a software/OS developer has to do what Apple did. They need to start from scratch and build an OS for the device. Apple did it, RIM did not. It doesn’t make the Storm bad, it just does not make it an iPhone competitor.
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Now, Palm’s upcoming webOS (on the Palm Pre) as well as Google’s Android (on the G1) have the potential of being iPhone competitors. Simply, because Google and Palm did what Apple did, they built a mobile OS from scratch focusing on new hardware and new touchscreen capabilities.

As of now, the G1 still has a way to go, but has potential. Palm’s webOS is not yet in the hands of the public, but looks to be a direct rip-off of Apple’s iPhone OS.

This story will continue, but we can close the door on the iPhone OS and the Storm OS being competitors. There is no competition here. iPhone OS was built for capacitive touchscreens and other newer hardware. The Storm’s OS is adapted for the same types of technologies, but is not a rewrite. Case closed.

Just announced less than a minute ago!!! (Keep refreshing your browser for updates). Thanks GDGT.com

* Gorgeous 3.1-inch, 320 x 480, multi-touch display. Extends down below into the “gesture area.” Variety of sensors.
* EV-DO Rev. A, 802.11b/g, 8GB storage, GPS, Bluetooth stereo (A2DP). Pre is the first smartphone with TI’s latest processor — “laptop-like performance.”
* slide-out keyboard.

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* All basic navigation is gestures — flick, tap, swipe, no buttons cluttering up the screen. Intended for one-handed usage. Somewhat familiar looking Palm launcher — three columns

* All your changes are saved automatically — focus on what you’re trying to do, not on running programs or saving files.
* Exchange OTA sync

* Conversations flow between IM and SMS.
* Real mobile web browser.
* Multiple tabs “cards”

* Landscape or portrait.

* Communcation apps integrated and always running
* Open apps resize when reminders, announcements open

* Media player

* Exclusive on Sprint. WTF!?

* Easy development environment. Everything done with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Comment: Hell, I could build apps for Palm.

Partners/Apps ready at release:
* facebook
* google
* dataviz
* pandora
* aol
* mobitv
* yahoo
* telenav
* chapura
* splashdata